Viral video falsely claimed ‘jihadis’ attacked a train; fact-check confirms no communal angle
New Delhi: Multiple social media users recently shared a video, claiming that it showed a group of ‘jihadis’ pelting stones at a special train carrying Maha Kumbh devotees from Jhansi to Prayagraj. The incident was claimed to have happened at Harpalpur Railway Station. However, an investigation by the PTI Fact Check Desk found the claim to be false since there was no communal spin to the entire incident. and a passenger at the station threw stones as the doors to the compartments were locked. The viral video was shared with a false communal angle on social media.
Claim
An X (formerly Twitter) user shared on January 28 a video, claiming that some ‘jihadis’ pelted stones at a train carrying devotees from Jhansi to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela.
“Breaking Alerts. Bharat 🇮🇳. Some suspicious people attacked the train going to Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. These rioters and Jihadis pelted stones at the passengers. There is only one treatment for them…” read the caption of the post.
Here is the link and archive link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same.
Investigation
The Desk ran the video through InVid Tool Search and found a few keyframes. On running one of the keyframes through Google Lens, we found that the same video was shared by several other users with the same claim. Two such posts can be seen here and here, and their archived versions can be viewed here and here, respectively.
The Desk further conducted a customised keyword search and came across a NDTV report dated January 28, 2025, whose headline read: “Passengers Throw Stones AtMahakumbh Special Train On Finding Doors Locked”
Here is the link to the report and below is a screenshot of the same.
“A special train travelling from Jhansi to Prayaraj was pelted with stones at HarpalpurStation after passengers waiting on the platform found the doors of the compartments locked. Videos circulating on social media show the attackers throwing stones at the train and shattering its windows as the passengers scream in fear,” read a section of the report.
The Desk noticed that the video carried by NDTV was similar to the viral video being shared on social media. Below is a combination image highlighting the same.
We found another report by India Today, published on January 28, 2025, whose headline read: “Video: Doors locked, angry passengers throw stones at Maha Kumbh-bound train.”
Here is the link to the report.
A section of the report mentioned: “The matter was immediately brought to our attention, and security personnel from RPF and GRP took swift action to control the situation. The train was safely dispatched to its destination, said Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Jhansi Railway Division, Manoj Kumar.”
Furthermore, as part of the investigation, the Desk reached out to Harpalpur police station in-charge Pushpak Sharma, regarding the claim. In a telephonic conversation with the Desk, the official clarified that there was no communal angle to the incident.
“The claim is false. It was not that a group of people pelted a stone but only a person who was a passenger at the station broke the window, as the train doors were closed from inside. The train was about to depart. Further, swift action was taken and the matter was resolved,” Sharma told PTI.
Subsequently, the Desk concluded that there was no communal angle to the incident.
CLAIM
Members of a particular community pelted stones and attacked the train going to Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
FACT
There is no communal angle to the incident.
CONCLUSION
Multiple social media users shared a video, claiming it showed members of a community pelting stones at a train carrying Maha Kumbh Mela devotees from Jhansi to Prayagraj. In investigation, the Desk found that the video was shared on social media with a false communal angle.
(This article was first reported by Kaushiki Goel / Abhinav Gupta of PTI and republished by Deccan Chronicle as part of the Shakti Collective Fact Check initiative)
